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Nintendo's Switch - part-tablet, part-console - is tipped to kick-start a new era of grab-and-go gaming. Whereas Sony and Microsoft battle to develop the most powerful hardware, Nintendo has opted for more eccentric choices. "Nintendo has always been willing to take risks," says Blake J Harris, the author of Console Wars. Those risks haven't always paid off; 2012's Wii U was the firm's worst-selling home console. But it meant that Nintendo pioneered designs - from motion controllers to VR - years before its competitors. We trace its gambles to present-day progeny.

Gamble: The Legend Of Zelda's built-in RAM (1987)

Offspring: Xbox (2001)

Gabriel Silveira

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Mario + Rabbids review: the best Mario game Nintendo never made

9/10

ByMatt Kamen

Before The Legend of Zelda was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the luxury of saving in-game progress was reserved only for PC gamers. Zelda stored saves using battery-powered RAM within the cartridge, paving the way for removable memory cards. In 2001, the Xbox became the first console to store game-saves on a hard drive.

Gamble: Power Glove (1989)

Offspring: Wii Remote (2006)

Gabriel Silveira

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Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch: a fishy remix, but still great fun

8/10

ByMatt Kamen

Produced under licence by Mattel, the Power Glove was supposed to allow NES players to use hand motions to control on-screen characters. Poor sensitivity and a lack of games led to it being discontinued after 12 months. But 15 years later, Nintendo perfected the idea with the Wii - and its influence can be seen in PlayStation Move and VR controllers.

Gamble: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) controller (1990)

Offspring: PlayStation controller (1994)

Gabriel Silveira

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With four buttons on the right, a D-pad on the left and shoulder buttons (which later became triggers) on the rear, the SNES was the first console with a recognisably modern controller. The Nintendo 64 added an analogue stick and Rumble Pak vibration, setting a new design benchmark - aped today by Sony and Microsoft.

Gamble: Virtual Boy (1995)

Offspring: Oculus Rift (2016)

Gabriel Silveira

Released at the height of its rivalry with Sega, the Virtual Boy used stereoscopic 3D graphics to create the illusion of depth. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the console - which had to be played while sitting at a table - could only display shades of red. It was scrapped just months after its release due to selling fewer than one million units.

Gamble: Satellaview (1995)

Offspring: PlayStation Network (2006)

Gabriel Silveira

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This Japanese-only add-on for the SNES allowed gamers to download games, read online magazines and listen to music on radio stations only accessible to those with a Satellaview. Before internet access became ubiquitous, the Satellaview was an early indicator of the connected entertainment hubs - from Twitter to Netflix - consoles are now.

Gamble: Game Boy Advance link cable (2001)

Offspring: Wii U (2012)

Gabriel Silveira

The accessory turned a Game Boy Advance into a second screen and additional controller for a GameCube or Wii. Dozens of GameCube titles were released that supported second-screen gaming - and other consoles soon offered smartphone-connectivity with companion apps. But the Wii U, built upon this feature, sold less than a fifth of the units of its predecessor.

This article was first published in the April 2017 issue of WIRED magazine